This blog is a forum to collect opinions and research regarding individual family experiences in order for the blog author to have additional information to influence her upcoming book.
DISCLAIMER: All posts added to this site have the potential to be published. Authors of posts will be contacted, if at all possible; however, if a post is anonymous or the author is unreachable, the obligation to contact is lifted.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sorry for the missed post last week, but I was having a wonderful time attending a cousin's wedding. Here we go for this week!

With society's many views on what 'should' or 'should not' happen in the home, I'm curious about what you all think about the roles people develop in their family. Are their peacemakers? "War mongers"? What about the role of your Mom and Dad? Which works outside the home, if not both? How do you think things got this way? This last question about how things developed the way that they did in your family is really the meat of what I'm trying to get at this week.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

How do you think the proliferation of the internet has affected your family relationships? Has it made them stronger because of long-distance communication? Has it possibly weakened them because of too much time spent on the internet, and not enough time with "present" people? Do you like the way the internet has changed things? How? Why? All vital questions for your everyday life... ;)

Sunday, March 8, 2009

We know from many studies, both religious and secular, that TV has an impact on family relationships and the basic functions of the home. What I want to know is how TV affected you while you were growing up? Can you think of any specific instance where watching TV was particularly helpful or particularly a hindrance? Did your parents' attitude towards TV affect your own watching habits? How? Hmm...more to ponder for the week.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

This week, I am interested in hearing how you think your religion has influenced your family. As a child, as an adult, as a parent yourself...Do you think a religious influence, or lack thereof, changed the person you turned out to be so far? How? Do you still carry out the same traditions? Why? I hope this stimulates lots of helpful discussion!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

So I'm pretty sure we can all agree that last week's questions were a bit of a bomb (only 1 poll answer! :( ), so let's take this a little different direction. Rather than trying to sum up an entire household, I'm curious what you all would say makes up the "perfect" child. If you really could mold your child like a chunk of clay, without outside influences messing up what you're doing, what would that child act like? Look like? Be like as an adult? All of us have been children once (I think...) and know what it's like to have expectations from parents, but what about when YOU'RE the parent? Hmmm...Hopefully this is a little more thought provoking than last week's weak ones. :D Have fun and post, post, post!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

I'm pretty sure we all can agree that there is no such thing as a perfect family or a perfect home. That said, however, I think everyone has a picture in their minds regarding the kind of home they wish they had--as an adult or a child. So what is your idea of a utopian home? What would you consider to be characteristics of the perfect family? Do you think having a "dream family" idea is positive or negative? Once again, just a string of questions to consider when posting this week...

Sunday, February 8, 2009

So, I think we've explored the sibling situation enough for now. This week, I'm really interested to hear a description of your childhood home, or, if you've been married for a while and would rather describe your current home, I'd love to hear it. Anything you think would be applicable to a book on families would be appreciated. This includes thoughts on the "vibe" of the house (that may have been portrayed through paint colors, even), how you feel your home compared with that of your friends, how your home as a child differs or is similar to your home now...The possibilities are endless! Dive in!

I just have to thank all of you for your comments. Everything you put in here gives me a new perspective and inspires me to write things that I never would have thought of otherwise. So thank you, thank you! Keep it up, and this book will be a snap! :)

Sunday, February 1, 2009

With so many of you placing comments about how you and your sibling(s) get along, I thought it would be interesting to explore times when you may have had to cooperate with a sibling and how that went. When there is sibling rivalry in a family, it is rarely the sole aspect of that relationship. Usually, it's sort of a love-hate thing, and this week's question is more about the love. What brings you and your siblings together (besides, perhaps, moving away from one another, as effective as that often is. :D)?

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Since most of you posted that you have siblings, I want to get a little deeper into that idea. Do any of you have a sibling that you're closest to? What about one with whom there's always been a bit of friction? Both? Since the beginning of mankind (assuming you accept the Adam and Eve philosophy), siblings haven't always gotten along so well. What do you think has changed, if anything? Feel free to comment on any or all of the previous concepts.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Which parent/parental influence are you closest to, and why? Parental influences may include aunts, uncles, grandparents, parole officers, etc., if your relationship with your parents is limited or negative.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Do you have a "black sheep" in your family? If so, what qualities distinguish this family member from the rest of your family? Maybe your whole family is a herd of black sheep! If so, what makes you categorize your family that way?

Hi all! I appreciate everyone's responses this last week. Everything you said was immensely helpful! I want to apologize quickly for not paying more attention to the quiz question. There was definitely ambiguity in my multiple-choice responses, so it didn't make a whole lot of sense (e.g. Having one option be 4-5 siblings and another be 5-6. What happens if you just have 5 siblings? Whoops!). I'll try better this week. Thanks for your patience as I learn more about this whole blogging thing. :D

Hi, everyone! For those of you who already know me, you know that writing a book has been a goal of mine since I was young enough to think that doing so would be easy. Well, even though that naive little girl has grown up, I'm ready to tackle the challenge--with your help, that is.

Each week, I will post a question about families, and would love any sort of response you're willing to provide. You can get as personal as you want (and stay anonymous, if desired), or get as impersonably philosophical as you want as well. Basically, all I ask is that you WRITE SOMETHING!

All of these comments will help me expand my knowledge of families beyond what I understand about my own and those who are close to me. I'm ready to inhale all the wisdom you have to share, whether you think it's wisdom or not. So what do you say? Do we have a book to write, or what? I say, let's go!

About Me

Considering this blog is all about amplifying what's important to me, I hope you learn about who I am from reading my posts. As a summary, I am a single, 26-year-old college graduate living with my parents because chronic illness has prohibited consistent full-time work. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), so when I talk about spiritual things, that is the framework from which I write, although I hope people of all spiritual beliefs will find something to think about in the things I write. I generally believe the world to be a good place, but I struggle with finding my happy place in it. That is part of the impetus for this blog. I hope I make some progress! I also love music (almost all genres), definitely enjoy eating (something that I'm sure will become the topic of an entry sometime), and like long walks on the beach at sunset. No really, I like long walks on the beach at sunset. :D